Note: Many countable nouns that refer to animals and birds are the same in singular and plural. However, when their meaning in ontext is in singular you use singular determiners and verbs and vice versa.

–Some nouns only appear in plural:

*scissors

*spectacles

*trousers

*shorts

*compasses

*scales

*(eye) glasses

*clothes

*thanks (you would not give someone a single thank but say ’Many thanks’ instead)

-There are 13 nouns that end in –fe or – f that change –f into –v and add –es:

1.*self-selves

2.*leaf-leaves

3.*wolf-wolves

4.*calf-calves

5.*sheaf-sheaves

6.*elf-ealves

7.*life-lives

8.*thief-thieves

9.*loaf-loaves

10.*knife-knives

11.*wife-wives

12.*half-halves

13.*shelf-shelves

-When a noun ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z – you add -es:

glasses, dishes, churches, boxes, brushes

*Two glasses of orange juice.

–You write: potato, tomato, hero, cargo + -es

but:

studio, rodeo, piano + -s

Plural of Nouns – Exercises

Choose the correct form of the verb, whether singular or plural (certain sentences can have both options):

Economics at my faculty is/are very hard to pass.

The police is/ are coming.

The Government is/are trying to control what you think.

Water is/are good for you.

Here is/are the news from the BBC.

Shingles is/are a viral infection that causes a painful rash.

Darts is/are my favourite game in a pub.

Dominoes is/are played all over the world.

The surroundings is/are quiet.

The outskirts of the city is/are rather dull.

Make the following nouns countable (there are different options, below are just examples:)